The season ended for our reserve side at St.James’ Park in early May
with a 2-0 victory over Whitley Bay to reclaim the Northumberland Senior
Cup. However
that was to be a rare high point in a season that saw an inconsistent
second string side serve up a series of forgettable performances, both
home and away.

While playing all their home league games bar one at either the unsuitable
venues Gateshead Stadium or Kingston Park was a major handicap, using 61
players over a season also indicates the extent to which the side was
constantly being altered.

At various times factors including the increased number of substitutes
required for Champions League games, players being loaned to other clubs
and a lack of effort by supposed first team squad members all adversely
affected the composition of the side and it’s effectiveness.

Having said that though, a record only one win from the four fixtures against
Nationwide league sides and reserve whipping boys Sheffield Wednesday and
Bradford City has to be questioned.

While the likes of Bellamy, Robert, O’Brien and Viana all made cameo
appearances en route a first team recall, others such as Steve Caldwell,
Ameobi and Bernard earned promotion to the senior squad after some decent
displays in the stiffs, often in front of a watching Sir Bobby Robson or
right-hand-man John Carver.

Regrettably, reserve regulars also had to suffer as the likes of Wayne Quinn, Gavilan,
Bassedas and Marcelino also strutted their stuff with varying degrees of
inadequacy.

That the latter name in that quartet was by far the most
composed and professional is especially frustrating – why his time on
Tyneside saw him only concerned with enriching his bank account rather
than his reputation is destined to remain a mystery.

Bassedas also couldn’t be accused of a lack of effort, only in being
totally incapable of adjusting to the pace and physicality of football in
this country, even at reserve level.

On to the positives then, and when a team sees a regular influx of
inexperienced players, which by the end of the season included schoolboys,
some glue is required in the form of a steady hand and guiding influence
on the field.
In previous seasons the likes of Stuart Pearce and John Barnes both took this
role, and in this campaign it’s been Robbie Elliott.

His thirteen starts
saw a series of solid performances from left back into midfield, displays
that looked much better in retrospect when he missed out in the latter
stages of the season through injury.

Of the younger players, midfielder Bradley Orr appeared in all but two league
games and after being handed a new contract impressed in a number of
matches, ending up with the captain’s armband to go along with his four
goals.

Dubliner Stephen Brennan can also reflect on a successful campaign in which he
established himself at right back, where his displays earned a call-up to
the Republic of Ireland U21 side and a Newcastle contract until 2005.

Featuring more at international level was central defender Steven Taylor,
who made sixteen starts in the reserves in between various appearances for
England, which included captaining the U17 national side.

His displays for the club this season have perhaps been less than
spectacular, but it’s easy to forget how young and inexperienced he is.
Similarly, his fellow academy graduates Chris Carr and Peter Ramage
have also shown some potential at various times this season.

The return of Gary Caldwell from his loan at Coventry next season promises
to make it a scrap for places in the back four. And with Taylor being
afforded “most likely to succeed” status, it remains to be seen
whether more of our young defenders find themselves making their senior
debut while on loan somewhere in the Nationwide.

Speaking of loans, and after a headline-grabbing spell at Watford, striker
Michael Chopra can reflect on a season in which he’s played in a
Champions League game in the Nou Camp, an FA Cup semi-final, scored four
goals in a Division One game and missed a penalty in a Worthington Cup
shootout.
He also made his Premiership debut on the final day of the season, at West
Bromwich Albion, and has since been promoted to the England U21 squad.

What the future holds for him is debatable though – at this moment in
time he looks unlikely to get a run in the first team and has a fight on
his hands even to get on the bench.
That being the case he’s likely to feature in the reserves next season,
hopefully in his preferred central striking role rather than the wide
position he endured for parts of last season, when he looked anything but
effective. There’s always the chance though that a lack of opportunity
will see him looking elsewhere, either on loan or not.

Having a harder season in many ways has been Chopra’s erstwhile strike partner,
South Shields-born Richard Offiong. After a couple of reserve appearances,
he first made the trip to Darlington for a spell, before heading over the
border to link up with SPL strugglers Motherwell.

With the Fir Park club in the lower reaches of the table, this year has
seen Offiong mostly used as a substitute, with a number of outings in an
unfamiliar midfield role as Manager Terry Butcher struggled with limited
resources.

Offiong now returns to United, and it’ll be interesting to see whether
his introduction to senior football kickstarts his career in black and
white, or he ends up packing his bags again.
The striking positions in the reserves have probably provoked most debate
this season among regular reserve watchers (or should that be sufferers?)

With Ameobi making only occasional appearances since his elevation to the
first team, Lomana LuaLua weighed in with five goals and much of what
constituted entertainment in home games, in his own inimitable and
frustrating style.

There have also been outings for Academy forwards Lewis Guy, Marc Walton
and Calvin Zola Makongo, plus of course the enigmatic Carl Cort.

Dealing with the £7m man first, in his fifteen performances this season
there have been a couple of belters in his seven strikes, along with some
encouraging and effective performances. However, there has also been the
seemingly inevitable sight of him being led disconsolately from the field
on a number of occasions, having pulled or strained some part of his
anatomy.

Despite this, a number of clubs expressed an interest in taking him out on
loan, only for United to put the block on any move, temporary or
otherwise. What the future holds for him is anyone’s guess, but he
simply seems fated never to establish himself at United, and may be in
need of a fresh start somewhere else.

Of the younger forward hopefuls, Lewis Guy made an immediate impression
with a winning goal at Chester against Liverpool, and a brace against
high-flying Aston Villa that could easily have been a hat trick. Marc
Walton came into the side at the end of season and almost marked his debut
with a goal at Bradford, before getting off the mark by scoring the two
goals at St.James’ Park to claim the Senior Cup.

The award of a contract and squad number for Calvin Zola remains inexplicable
after twelve reserve league appearances this season without a goal, with
the suspicion being that non-footballing reasons may have contributed to
the decision.

Elsewhere there have been good contributions from midfielder Ross Gardner, despite
the distraction of the ongoing tribunal case with the Academy over
mistreatment of players.

Mention also for Andy Ferrell, who began the
season at full back for the U19s, moved into midfield and found his
shooting boots which resulted in promotion to the reserves before injury
curtailed his season.

To sum up, it’s been a poor season overall with the loyalty of home
crowds being tested to the full by the variable fare served up. Some
younger players have enhanced their reputation while others have fallen by
the wayside.

As ever, the new season will be approached with optimism and the hope that
our problems with a suitable home venue are solved. However, if coach
Tommy Craig is forced to send his side out on more awful pitches, it
brings into question the whole value of having a reserve team.

That situation has to be addressed if it’s not to overshadow the next
campaign as much as the last one.